The present invention relates to boxes, known as brood chambers, that are used in beekeeping and are adapted to house a beehive and honey chamber.
Conventional brood chambers usually include a main compartment shaped like a box. A bee entrance at the base of one side of the main compartment enables bees to pass into and out of the brood chamber. Bees are transported in such brood chambers during pollination season to areas where better food is available or to groves and fields for pollination of farm crops. When bees are transported in such brood chambers, the bee entrance at the base of the main compartment must be securely closed to prevent bees from entering or leaving the brood chambers.
Current methods for closing the bee entrance of such brood chambers include nailing or stapling wood strips or wire screen over the bee entrance. Such methods damage the brood chamber, causing premature decay of the structure. In addition, the nailing and stapling upsets the bees, causing swarming and suffocation of the bees. Alternatively, reinforced tape is used to close the bee entrance. Although that method may be less disruptive initially than methods requiring nailing and stapling, suffocation of the bees remains a serious problem.
Another problem with current methods of closing the bee entrance of brood chambers is the danger to motorists and others because bees occasionally escape from the brood chambers during transport. In such circumstances, the bees may be aroused sufficiently to sting innocent drivers and others in proximity to the brood chambers. In addition, the current methods of closing brood chambers are generally not reusable--new wood strips, wire screen, and reinforced tape must be used each time the brood chambers are to be closed.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a closure for a brood chamber that does not require nailing or stapling and that does not otherwise upset or disrupt the bees.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a closure for a brood chamber that allows adequate passage of air through the bee entrance so that bees do not suffocate when the brood chamber is closed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a closure for a brood chamber that is convenient and safe for a beekeeper closing and opening the brood chamber.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a closure for a brood chamber that is secure during transport.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a closure for a brood chamber that is adjustable, simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, versatile, and light in weight.
The bee industry is important in the United States, not only because honey provides annual revenue of $150 million, but also because various farm crops having annual revenues of $20 billion depend on bee pollination. These industries are being threatened by aggressive African "killer" bees that are interbreeding with common, more docile and more productive European bees. In pursuing research to control African bees, laboratories may conveniently house and transport African bees in brood chambers if the brood chambers can be securely closed.
It is therefor a further object of the present invention to provide a closure for a brood chamber that is secure enough to prevent African bees from accidentally escaping from the brood chamber.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a closure for a brood chamber that can be used to prevent African bees from entering a brood chamber to interbreed with European bees within the brood chamber.